Color image forming apparatus with toner recycling mechanism

Abstract

A color image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a belt for sequentially transferring toner images of different colors to a sheet one above the other. A plurality of image forming units face the belt, and each includes an image carrier and a developing device and a cleaning device arranged around the image carrier. The belt is inclined such that one of opposite runs thereof adjoining the image forming units has opposite ends positioned at different levels from each other. The cleaning device of each image forming units is positioned at a higher level than the developing device.

1. A color image forming apparatus comprising:
 means for sequentially transferring toner images of different colors to a recording medium one above the other; 
 a plurality of image forming units facing said means for sequentially transferring, and each image forming unit comprising an image carrier, means for developing, and means for cleaning arranged around said image carrier; and 
 toner recycling means, including a recycling path, included in at least one of said plurality of image forming units for feeding toner collected by said means for cleaning to a respective said means for developing via the recycling path, the recycling path positioned below said means for cleaning and including a toner outlet below said means for cleaning into which said collected toner is output from said means for cleaning to the recycling path, the recycling path extending from below said means for cleaning and above said means for developing, and the recycling path extending substantially horizontally or having one side adjoining said respective means for developing positioned at a lower level than at said toner outlet; 
 wherein said means for sequentially transferring is inclined to have opposite ends positioned at different levels from each other, and 
 wherein said means for cleaning of each of said plurality of image forming units is positioned at a higher level than said respective means for developing. 
 
   
   
     2. The color image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said means for cleaning included in a lower one of said plurality of image forming units and said means for developing included in an upper one of said plurality of image forming units next to said lower one partly overlap each other in an up-and-down direction. 
   
   
     3. A color image forming apparatus comprising:
 a belt for sequentially transferring toner images of different colors to a recording medium one above the other; 
 a plurality of image forming units facing said belt, and each image forming unit comprising an image carrier, a developer, and a cleaning mechanism arranged around said image carrier; and 
 a toner recycling mechanism, including a recycling path, included in at least one of said plurality of image forming units for feeding toner collected by said cleaning mechanism to a respective said developer via the recycling path, the recycling path positioned below said cleaning mechanism and including a toner outlet below said cleaning mechanism into which said collected toner is output from the cleaning mechanism to the recycling path, the recycling path extending from below said cleaning mechanism and above said developer, and the recycling path extending substantially horizontally or having one side adjoining said respective developer positioned at a lower level than at said toner outlet; 
 wherein said belt is inclined to have opposite ends positioned at different levels from each other, and 
 wherein said cleaning mechanism of each of said plurality of image forming units is positioned at a higher level than said respective developer. 
 
   
   
     4. The color image forming apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said cleaning mechanism included in a lower one of said plurality of image forming units and said developer included in an upper one of said plurality of image forming units next to said lower one partly overlap each other in an up-and-down direction.